Hypo- and hyperthermia in newborn and specifically preterm and very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants may develop extremely fast and cause severe respiratory, circulatory and metabolic disturbances. Both conditions are—if left untreated—associated with an increased mortality and morbidity. Different means are therefore used to keep a newborn infant at the right temperature until such time that his/her thermoregulatory mechanism gains stability. This is particularly important if the infant has to be transported to hospital, e.g. after being born at home or in an ambulance, or if it is being transferred between different hospitals, departments and/or neonatal units.
It has been demonstrated that keeping premature infants warm immediately after birth may significantly reduce mortality during the early postnatal period. Furthermore, hypothermia in the VLBW, severely premature and critically ill neonates may cause hypoglycaemia as well as an increase in insensible water loss leading to an imbalanced fluid homeostasis. The resulting electrolyte disturbances necessitate vigilant monitoring of all circulatory, respiratory and gastrointestinal parameters in a neonatal intensive care unit.
Hyperthermia, on the other hand, is also associated with increased neonatal mortality and presents similar serious problems to the infant as may be caused by hypothermia. Consequently, the body temperature should preferably be kept in the range of 36.0-37.5° C., since core temperatures outside this range significantly increase mortality and morbidity.
To protect newborn infants from the cooling effect caused by convection, conduction, evaporation and radiation, they are typically wrapped in blankets, bubble wrap or even disposable plastic waste bags as that is often what is available. However, there exists no unique modus operandi or certified product for wrapping the infants and thereby maintaining stable body temperatures. Another problem with such wrapping is that it is often not transparent, so that visual observation of the infant is impaired. It is therefore necessary to un-wrap the infant in order to be able to assess the health conditions, such as skin colour, pulse rate or respiration, thereby exposing the infant to the cooler environment.
Some births take place in acute and non-clinical settings or under surveillance of less experienced personnel, and there is consequently a demand from personnel facing the challenges of handling births for a thermal stabilisation shield which is well designed and easy-to-use, easy-to-carry and taking up only little space so as to be packed in portable rescue units or in another way portable manner.
Hence, an improved thermal shield for newborn infants would be advantageous, and in particular a more efficient and/or reliable thermal shield would be advantageous.